Northwest Coast

The southernmost border of the Northwestern Coastal region lies in western Washington state and continues northward along the Pacific Ocean to southern Alaska. In addition to creating woven cradles like some groups in the Plateau region, cradles were also built out of cedar. Some were simply flat boards that were used in the same fashion as those in the Northeast; others were created out of hollowed logs. The most prevalent style, however, were trough-like cradles constructed of carved pieces of wood that were bent and sewn together with plant fiber, or joined with tongue and groove mortise. The Milwaukee Public Museum’s collection includes 4 Kwakiutl/Kwakwaka’wakw cradles of this construction. Attached to a baseboard were two parallel sideboards with angled head and footboards. The headboard was usually slightly taller, and was often curved at the top. Most cradles were lined with absorbent materials like cedar bark shavings, but some had a secondary bottom of latticed wooden rods that elevated the child’s body, and allowed fluids to drain out of a hole by the feet. A cloth or cedar hood was often added to protect the child’s face from the elements. The child was laced into the cradle with hide or woven cord from plant fibers. These cradles were carried in the arms or suspended from a sapling or pole with a cord that could be pulled to rock the child. Natural objects like animal paws or plant materials were associated with certain ideal character attributes, and were placed inside the cradle underneath or alongside the child to encourage their development. Some cradles were carved or painted with animal motifs, while others were simply stained or sealed to make them watertight.